Select Your Brokers to Compare
NinjaTrader vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
NinjaTrader
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
ECN/STP
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
2003
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
1.5M
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
CFTC NFA
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Leading Broker in TASC's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards 2024 Great Place to Work Best Brokerage for Trading Futures at Benzinga Global Fintech Awards 2023
No major awards listed
Security Measures
SIPC & FSCS
SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No
No
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
115+ trading instruments
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
No
No
Commodities
Yes
No
Indices
Yes
No
Cryptocurrencies
Yes
No
CFDs
Yes
No
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
No
Futures
Yes
No
Bonds
Yes
Yes
Mutual Funds
No
No
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
No
No
Precious Metals
Yes
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Yes
Yes - through REIT stocks
Equities
Yes
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
No
MT5
No
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
Yes
No
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
Ninjatrader 8
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Free Plan Lifetime Plan Monthly Plan
Personal Business
Demo Account (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Leverage Available
No
No
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
Depends on assets type
Varies for each product
Commission (per account type)
Free- $0.35 per micro and $1.29 per standard, Monthly- $0.25 per micro and $0.99 per standard, Lifetime- $.09 per micro contract and $0.59 per standard
Euro 0
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Beginners & experienced
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
ACH Transfer Debit Card Wire Transfer / SEPA By Check
EUR - SEPA, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay GBP - FPS, CHAPS, BACS, SWIFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay USD - ACH, FedWire, SWIFT HUF - Bank transfers within Hungary
Withdrawal Methods
Bank Transfer
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Video tutorials Learning tools Technical analysis
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
$.05 to $.25 per contract
US Shares per order - 0.1% upto $1 maximum EU Shares per order - Euro 1 UK Shares per order - Euro 1 Money Market Funds - 0.25% annually Nasdaq Baltic - Euro 1 ETFs -Euro 0 Multi-currency account -Euro 0
Spread (typical, fixed, variable)
variable
NA
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0.25 per contract (order routing fees)
NA
Futures Contract Fees
$0.29 to $.85
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
Variable
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
NA
NA
Maximum Leverage
NA
Info not available
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$25 monthly
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
Volume Indicators - $59 Data Fees - $4 per exchange Multi-License broker - $99
NA
Advisory Fees
NA
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
$50
NA
Statement or Document Fee
NA
NA
Account Opening Fee
Free Plan - $0 Monthly Plan - $99 Lifetime Plan - $1499
$0
Account Maintenance Fee
NA
$0
Deposit Fee
ACH - Free Domestic Wire Transfer - $30
In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11
Currency Conversion Fee
1% of currency converted, minimum 10 units of currency sold
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
$0
$0
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
Yes
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
Yes
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Depends on the assets type
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
24/5
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Emergency trade desk: 312.423.2234 General inquiries: 1.800.496.1683 Fax: 312.329.9888 Email: mailto:[email protected] , Live chat
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
1
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
222 N LaSalle Street Suite 1450, Chicago, IL 60601
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
Explore More Broker Matchups
Here are more Comparisons to help you choose wisely
Our Latest Contents
Stay updated with our newest insights and guides!
Top Broker Reviews
Discover brokers trusted by global traders.
No